Did you know? -- A Terrific Use of Technology

One of the best uses of technology and the internet is the ability to get people connected to each other for a good cause. Now that the holidays are approaching, I frequently find myself counting my blessings and looking to share some of my good fortune with people who aren’t so lucky. During this season, my husband and I prefer to make our contributions locally, and give to local food banks, or provide gifts to foster kids in our area, or kids on public assistance who might not have as much under their tree as my kids do. But I’m going to tell you about a world wide gift that can make a difference, both to hungry people in the world, and to your own life.

If you have any interest at all in food, whether it is making it, reading about it, or just eating it, you can donate money to the UN's World Food Program and also have a very good chance to win some fabulous food-related gifts. You can do this by buying raffle tickets from Menu for Hope, an event organized by food bloggers from all over the world.

For details about the raffle, and to find links to descriptions of the incredible prizes, you can go to my favorite food blog, The Travelers’ Lunchbox, or to the main site, Chez Pim, and find out how to choose what prizes you might be interested in, and how to link to the donation page.

Once you get to the donation page, you can see another great use of technology. Anyone can set up a donation page like this, for fundraising efforts large and small. (Last summer, a 16 year old friend of ours ran in a triathlon to raise money for *** cancer research, and used a similar fundraising page to raise $500.)

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, and a new year filled with hope and joy.